During my session today with Menzerna and having it dust up when I was taking a deep breath, I wondered how the microabrasives now in my lungs would affect my cells down there. A quick google search didn't turn up any correlation between car polishes and occupational lung disease/cancer. Do you know any detailers who developed lung problems or cancer? Do you routinely wear a mask when polishing with products that dust?
I would feel that since most people polish in an open environment it shouldn't be that big of a cause for alarm. I think due to the oils that it stays in a solid nature and not as much airborne. I duno, I'd definitely like to learn more about that subject.
I too have wondered this, specially since most of the time I'm polishing in side my garage....but after I start manhandeling the vehicle I forget all about it :giggle: Seriously though, I'm sure all that dust isn't good for the body, nothing wrong with wearing a mask :shrug:
I did my car this weekend and actually starting thinking about that for some reason. I have tried wearing a mask before, but after just a little while it gets really uncomfortably hot. I don't even like to wear latex gloves for that long.
Yeah, it's just something you kind of get used to. I'm used to wearing gloves for extended periods of time now after wearing them on a regular basis for my details. :thumb:
a quick check of the msds and then the causes for that chemical will show you what your looking for. I believe that the optimum line is one of the safest if not the safest line of polishes.
I have thought about this, especially with the Menzerna polishes (and any others) that contain aluminium. The human body as far as I know has no way of removing aluminium and as such it could potentially accumulate. Aluminium isn't recommended for cookware bacause of this but I am uncertain if he same would apply to aluminium dust thats inhaled.
It's funny that you mention that, because after polishing that Scuderia this week, I noticed that my nostrils were a bit caked with dust (I'm assuming it was polish dust) and since then I've been really congested. The area that I was working in was well ventilated, but still, it got me thinking about whether I should be wearing a mask or not. I mean really, the chemicals in polishes can't be good for your lungs...
Most polishes / compounds contain aluminium oxide, which is milled to a many sided sharp diamond shape to abrade paint. Its obvious side-effect if inhaled is that it will irritate the membrane lining of the throat and lungs
Definitely is not good for your lungs. Some polishes like 3M have a clear warning on the bottle. I am always thinking about this and should probably wear a respirator but usually don't. I try to keep the edges of my pad moist so they do not dust a lot when I hit a taped emblem or something.
